New Delhi — The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal and two others protection from arrest for two weeks in connection with a case involving alleged fraud by a user of the matrimonial platform.
A Bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N V Anjaria set aside a Telangana High Court order that had refused to quash the criminal proceedings against Mittal. The apex court remitted the matter back to the high court for fresh consideration on merits and asked Mittal to seek interim bail there.
The case originates from a complaint filed by a Hyderabad-based woman, who alleged that she was cheated of ₹11 lakh by a man using a fake profile on Shaadi.com. The complainant claimed that the matrimonial platform failed to adequately verify user credentials, leading to the fraud.
In its order, the Supreme Court clarified that it had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case. “Since the quashing petition has not been decided on merits, we set aside the impugned order and remit the matter to the high court for consideration on merits. Accordingly, the criminal cases are restored to their original file,” the court said.
The Bench further directed that no coercive steps be taken against the petitioner for a period of eight weeks, during which Mittal has been asked to approach the Telangana High Court for interim relief.
Appearing for Mittal, senior advocate Atmaram Nadkarni argued that his client merely operates a matrimonial platform that facilitates matches between users. He submitted that the company was cooperating with the investigation and questioned the basis for making Mittal an accused in the case.
Earlier, on June 26, the Supreme Court had issued notice to the Telangana government and stayed all proceedings in the matter. The Telangana High Court had last year declined to quash the FIR registered against Mittal and two others, Vignesh and Satish, who were named as accused in the case.
The high court will now reconsider the matter afresh following the Supreme Court’s directions.
